Functional Reading Skills Help Special Needs Students Navigate Daily Life

From the very moment students enter our program, they are exposed to reading a schedule every day in their classrooms. They are also expected to read a calendar and weather-related items. This takes place during morning meeting. Later, through various trips into the local community and businesses, they encounter community signs, transportation schedules and menus. These are the applications that are enforced during the transition into adulthood.

So what sort of materials work best for teaching functional reading skills?

It is important that adults with developmental disabilities become independent and able to navigate daily life in most environments. We want them to be able to travel, shop, work in certain settings, order for themselves off a restaurant menu, and navigate through an unfamiliar building. Above all else, we want them to be safe.

Signs

Start with signs in the community or in the building. Make flashcards by taking photos of the signs and printing them out. Once a student knows what the words mean, begin pointing out signs in other locations. The most important words and signs repeat themselves. Exit signs let them know how to leave a building. Gender-identifying signs like “men” and “women” help them find the right bathroom.

Circulars & Menus

A simple step up from signs would be circulars and menus. The mailman delivers them daily. Why not use them? Grocery store circulars work well because they have images, and pair these pictures of the food items with their names. Over time this juxtaposition allows the students to begin to recognize just the written word. This makes it more likely that when they see it in a different context, they can read it. Point out a favorite food and don’t be surprised if it doesn’t take so long for your pupil to recognize its name. When he or she wants to know where to purchase it, highlight the name of the supermarket. Integrating functional math skills by seeing the prices listed in the store flyers also enables the students to improve their money recognition.

Magazines & Newspapers

Books are not necessarily out of the question. However, in order to stay focused on function, magazines are also full of literacy opportunities. Adults with developmental disabilities may, at first, be overwhelmed by the vast amount of text. That is why we choose articles with plenty of pictures and cut out specific articles or ads that appeal to the individual student.

Newspapers are just as challenging as magazines, for the same reasons. A local newspaper, with familiar subjects and locations, tends to be the smart choice. The student can choose an article on his or her own, based on what interests or motivates him or her.